Big 12 Baseball Championship Drops First Single-Elimination Bracket in History

The bracket is set, and for the first time in league history, the Big 12 Baseball Championship is going single-elimination, and all 12 teams are headed to Arlington.

Despite losing four in a row and being 3-8 in their last 11 games, West Virginia (19-9) held onto the top seed at the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship after clinching its first outright Big 12 regular season title. The Mountaineers will open play on Thursday, May 22, facing the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 8 Cincinnati and No. 9 Texas Tech.

Kansas (20-10) claimed the No. 2 seed—the highest in program history—after an impressive regular-season surge. The Jayhawks will take on the winner of No. 7 Oklahoma State (the 2024 champion) and No. 10 Baylor, who returns to the postseason for the first time since 2022.

TCU (19-11) grabbed the No. 3 seed and will face either No. 6 Kansas State or No. 11 Houston on Thursday night. Arizona, the No. 4 seed, gets an opening-round bye and will make its Big 12 postseason debut against the winner of No. 5 Arizona State and No. 12 BYU in the tournament’s opening game at 9 a.m. CT on Wednesday.

This year’s event marks a major shift—gone is the double-elimination grind, replaced by a win-or-go-home bracket from start to finish. All 12 teams are ranked inside the top 90 of the RPI, with eight in the top 50, signaling a deep and dangerous field.

Here’s the full 2025 Big 12 Baseball Championship schedule:

2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship Schedule

Wednesday, May 21
Game 1 – No. 5 Arizona State vs. No. 12 BYU – 9 a.m. – ESPN+
Game 2 – No. 8 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Texas Tech – 12:30 p.m. – ESPNU & ESPN+
Game 3 – No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Baylor – 4 p.m. – ESPNU & ESPN+
Game 4 – No. 6 Kansas State vs. No. 11 Houston – 8:00 p.m. – ESPN2 & ESPN+

Thursday, May 22
Game 5 – No. 4 Arizona vs. Game 1 Winner – 9 a.m. – ESPN+
Game 6 – No. 1 West Virginia vs. Game 2 Winner – 12:30 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 7 – No. 2 Kansas vs. Game 3 Winner – 4 p.m. – ESPNU & ESPN+
Game 8 – No. 3 TCU vs. Game 4 Winner – 7:30 p.m. – ESPNU & ESPN+

Friday, May 23
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 4 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 7:30 p.m. – ESPN+

Saturday, May 24
Game 11 – Championship Game – 6 p.m. – ESPNU & ESPN+

First pitch is set for Wednesday, May 21, at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The title game will air on ESPNU at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 24.

Bracket chaos is coming—and for the Big 12, that’s exactly how baseball in May should feel.